NEW YORK, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean last night announced the appointment of four Co-Chairs for the DNC's South Asian American Leadership Council.
Parag Saxena of Rye, NY, Romita Shetty of New York, NY, Dilawar Syed of Palo Alto, CA, and Kashif Zafar of Scarsdale, NY will serve as National Co-Chairs for the Council. All four have been appointed by Governor Dean to lead the Council through the 2008 election cycle.
The Council will lead the Party's efforts to recognize the loyalty, dedication, and generous contributions of the South Asian American community to the Democratic Party, and to provide a platform for political engagement and a forum for the exchange of ideas for South Asian American Democrats.
During a briefing at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York City on Wednesday, Governor Dean praised the community for engaging voters who descend from the seven nations of the Asian subcontinent including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Collectively, there are more than 3 million South Asian Americans living in the U.S.
"To a casual observer it probably seems odd that we lump together these extraordinarily diverse and complex communities into one council," said Dean. "However, what draws you together - and what I hope makes you Democrats - is the shared experiences of coming to this country, building your families and passing on a better life for the next generation."
Joining Governor Dean was former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin who serves as a foreign policy advisor to Senator Obama's campaign and Co-Chairs of the SAALC.
"Each of these individuals are deeply committed to ensuring that the rapidly growing South Asian American communities are engaged and participating in this year's historic elections," said Dean.
Brief Bios of New DNC South Asian American Leadership Council Co-Chairs:
Parag Saxena is Co-Founder and CEO of Vedanta Capital & New Silk Route Investors and former CEO of INVESCO Private Capital, where he was one of the largest global venture capital and private equity managers. He is a seasoned venture capitalist with over 25 years experience and has been listed on Forbes' annual Midas List of the world's top venture investors. He has been the President of TIE -TriState since 2003 and is a Vice Chairman of the UN Financing for Development Committee. Parag is a co-founder and member of the executive committee of South Asian American Forum. He was a Co-Chair of South Asians for Kerry in 2004 and currently serves as a Regional Co-Chair of the Obama campaign's Asian American Finance Committee.
Romita Shetty is an investment banker based in New York. She is active in a number of non-profits focused on women's rights and is a co-founder of Sakhi for South Asian Women, a ground breaking organization committed to ending violence against women of South Asian origin. She is also a board member of CREA, an international women's human rights organization based in India focused on enhancing women's leadership to better access their rights. Romita is on the executive committee of the South Asian American Forum. She currently serves as a National Co-Chair of the Obama campaign's Asian- American Finance Committee.
Dilawar Syed is a Senior Director at Yahoo!, having led platform strategy and business operations in the Company's technology organization. He is a Charter Member and President of OPEN-Silicon Valley (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America). Dilawar is a Regional Co-Chair of the Obama campaign's Asian American Finance Committee.
Kashif Zafar is an investment banker based in New York. He serves on the Board of International House in New York and is an Associate Partner of Acumen Fund, a philanthropic organization which provides venture capital funding for projects aimed at creating market solutions to the problems of global poverty. Kashif is a co-founder and member of the executive committee of the South Asian American Forum. He was a Co-Chair of South Asians for Kerry in 2004. Kashif currently serves as a Regional Co-Chair of the Obama campaign's Asian American Finance Committee.
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